Animal Books

Old Mother West Wind was a gift for grandmother, who read her children stories from this series when we were young. Happy stories and illustrations for young elementary children. Good entertainment, useful for K-3 school. Loved it!

These stories were first told to his own children by Thornton Burgess. Then they were read to me by my mother over 60 years ago. They were long out of print when my own children were of the right age but they are back for my grandchildren. They are highly recommended.

This book was a gift to my 6 year-old grandson. He loves it; both the stories and the pictures. This is a book my mother read to me when I was little boy. My favorite character was Bobby Coon.

Thornton Burgess was a naturalist and the stories of animals in Old Mother West Wind are wonderful. The characters attitudes and behaviors are true to the animal portrayed. A wonderful way to get acquainted with nature. Perfect book for an adult to read to a younger child.

A book of short stories about animals who talk, _Old Mother West Wind_ is enjoyable for a child of about five years to about eight as a read aloud (or older, if your child isn't terribly worldly.) These short tales often attempt to explain "how", as in how the skunk got his stripe, and have, in addition to the animals, characters such as Mother Nature and the Merry Little Breezes.

Many of these stories attempt to teach a moral, though often it is not obvious due to the author's skill. These are old stories and they reflect the values of the time they were written in. My ADHD eleven year old read the book himself and enjoyed it and is looking forward to the sequel.

Here are the stories included:

1) Mrs. Redwing's Speckled Egg - Mrs. Redwing has just laid a beautiful new egg and the Merry Little Breezes must help keep it safe from Tommy Brown.

2) How Reddy Fox Was Surprised - When Johnny Chuck wanders too far from home, Reddy Fox decides to play a trick on him. But the joke's on Reddy Fox.

3) Why Grandfather Frog Has No Tail - Grandfather Frog tells the Merry Little Breezes why Mother Nature took away all frogs' tails.

4) Why Jimmy Skunk Wears Stripes - When Mrs. Ruffed Grouse's eggs are destroyed by "a pair of eyes," the whole forest seeks the culprit. When Jimmy Skunk is found out, his days of night camouflage are over. (This was my son's favorite.)

5) The Willful Little Breeze - When one of the Merry Little Breezes stays in the Green Meadow after Old Mother West Wind has gone home behind the Purple Hills, he foils Hooty the Owl and Reddy Fox's plans to eat Mr. Bob White and his family.

6) Reddy Fox Goes Fishing - While Reddy Fox sleeps, he dreams he can fish as well as Billy Mink, but Reddy Fox just ends up all wet.

7) Jimmy Skunk Looks for Beetles - As Jimmy Skunk looks for beetles, he doesn't make any friends, but is rather selfish and destructive. However, the adventure really starts when Peter Rabbit decides to help.

8) Billy Mink's Swimming Party - Billy Mink invites Jerry Muskrat and Little Joe Otter to a swimming party at the Smiling Pool.

9) Peter Rabbit Plays a Joke - When Peter Rabbit tries to play a joke on Johnny Chuck and Reddy Fox, the joke back-fires.

10) How Sammy Jay Was Found Out - When Happy Jack's store of nuts disappears, Old Mother West Wind forms a committee of the whole to solve the mystery.

11) Jerry Muskrat's Party - When Jerry Muskrat throws a swim party, many of his guests aren't having any fun. Then, Little Joe Otter comes up with an idea that saves the party.

12) Johnny Chuck Finds the Best Thing in the World - When Striped Chipmunk hears Old Mother West Wind tell the Slender Fir Tree that she's found the Best Thing in the World, everyone starts to search for it--and everyone imagines it as something different.

13) Bobby Coon and Reddy Fox Play Tricks - When Bobby Coon and Reddy Fox trap Johnny Chuck inside his home, Jimmy Skunk helps Johnny Chuck surprise the two of them.

14) The Tale of Tommy Trout, Who Didn't Mind - Though Tommy Trout's mother tried to warn him of the dangers outside of their little pool, Tommy Trout didn't listen.

15) Little Joe Otter's Slippery Slide - When Little Joe Otter, Billy Mink, and Jerry Muskrat build a mud slide on the bank of the Smiling Pool, Peter Rabbit's curiosity gets the best of him.

16) Spotty the Turtle Wins a Race - When Peter Rabbit, Reddy Fox, and Billy Mink decide to race to see who's fastest, Peter Rabbit teases Spotty the Turtle that he should join. Spotty the Turtle does, and uses his mind to win the race.

This is a really cute book for toddlers/preschoolers/K-2 kids. It helps with colors for the really little ones, then with short sentences to read or write later. I actually bought this for my 10 year old daughter - lol - she always loved this book. I guess the bright colors and sparkle of the foil cut outs of the eggs appealed to her in Kindergarten when she saw it in the school library - she's checked it out every year at least 6 times ever since (4th grade now). Every kid has a few books that they just adore and can't get enough of, so I got it for her to keep and give her own kid(s) some day (she has my old copy of "Bambi's Fragrant Forest" - a 1970's scratch 'n sniff book). It's a visually pleasing book and little ones will enjoy it.

I love the illustrations in this book!!! My 2-year-old may be a little too young for the story, but she loves looking at the pictures.

My son learned his colors because of this book! Each page has a different color of egg, the story rhymes so well, and its a lift-the-flap book! The pictures have so much detail sometimes we spend extra time looking in the background for other animals and talking about what they are doing. We've had this book for a year and it is still very popular at our house!

I purchased this book for my nephew and he absolutely loves it. Beautiful illustrations and a very cute story for children from 1-6 years old. However, the book seemed a bit warped when I purchased it but I attributed it due to the delivery process.

One of the nicest things about this book is how well it is designed. Children love beautiful materials and this book delivers. Today, electronic media is so prevelant in childrens' lives. This book, though, offers children the opportunity to relax and read pages filled with awe and wonder. Quality colors, papers and decorations invite children into the Natural Easter world of the forest and imagination. It's beautifully adorned with sparkling, jeweled pages made to entertain and peak interest.

If The Velveteen Rabbit had a prequel, it would surely be Margaret Wise Brown's classic story that appears every year at Easter time, The Golden Egg Book. This is a little story about the miraculous accident we call friendship--which is to say it as about the miracle that emerges when we accept each other. That acceptance comes despite the hurt we often unwittingly, or selfishly, inflict on each other.


The story begins: Once there was a bunny. He was all alone. One day he found an egg. He could hear something moving inside the egg. What was it?

The bunny is determined to find out what's in the egg, and he jumps on it, rolls it down the hill, throws a rock at it.... His effort wears him out and he falls asleep, during which time the duck inside the egg hatches, sees the bunny and wonders at the sleeping bunny curled up alongside his shell.

The duck, in its turn, pokes and prods the bunny until the long-eared one awakens.

The two critters marvel at each other and what circumstances have brought them together--briefly, for they are very young. It is enough, they agree to accept each other and be friends. And no one was ever alone again.

I read this over 100 times to my daughter when she was little. I also read it that many times when I was a child. I love this book and any books by Margaret Wise Brown. Also read the Whispering Rabbit and loved it.

I read this to my 2 year old niece every time I see her. We have a different edition, I think, and the pictures are simply beautiful. The text is such that my niece can easily follow along and even remembers certain parts by heart. It is a wonderful story that really captures and holds the attention of a young child. A simply wonderful story.

I love this book, my mommy checked it out for me from the library. I am only7 months old. My mommy has read me other books and they are okay, but this book is great!!It makes mem so happy,as soon as mommy gets it out I go crazy laughing and smiling and clapping my hands. My favorite part is when the chick finally comes out of the egg. This is a great book!!!

My grandparents gave me a copy of this book for my first Easter, in 1960. My mom says I loved it, then my subsequent siblings, nephews, and nieces loved it some more. My old, "well-loved" copy is literally falling apart.

Every night in the last month, my 17-month-old has wordlessly gone to her bookshelf, grabbed my old book and plopped into my lap to read her favorite book. If she is reluctant to finish getting ready for bed, all I have to do is show her the book, and she quickly waddles over and plops down.

But tonight when she opened my old book, the pages weren't there ... they'd all fallen out ... even with all the years' accumulation of tape. With some trepidation, I logged on after she was in bed, hoping to find at least an old copy with a used-book seller through Amazon (a handy feature that has helped out in similar situations.) I was thrilled to find it had been reissued. We'll add a new layer of tape to the old one to hold on until the new copy arrives. We'd like to thank the publishers and Amazon ... I suspect the new copy will be in a similarly "loved" state in another 40 years.

This story was hilarious. I began reading it to my second graders and they didn't want to leave when the bell rang. They wanted to stay for the finish. The curiosity of the prairie dogs was believable and as always, Janet Stevens' illustrations were wonderful. It was very creative to see the ways the little guys could use the "fuzz". Loved it.

This wonderfully rendered book won the 2007 Colorado Children's Book Award through the CCIRA, Colorado chapter of the International Reading Association. The coolest part of this award was that the books are nominated AND voted by the children of Colorado. Janet Stevens has an AMAZING talent in this and many other books. She is fabulous in school visits and is an engaging person. Watch her, she will win that coveted Caldecott someday!

As a speech and language expert with Play on Words, I look for great language enhancing books: Violet, the dog, innocently drops her tennis ball down a prairie dog's tunnel, setting off the "fuzz frenzy." "Boink, thump, rumble, and plunk" is just the beginning of this delightful journey of a fuzzy ball through the land of prairie dogs, filling your child with rich vocabulary and delightful drawings. Bossy Big Bark is the control freak who wants everyone to stay away from the questionable object while Pip Squeak ventures forth for a look. The new found fuzz is stretched, tugged, spiked and twirled into creative hats, belts, rabbit ears and Indian headdresses. Children learn that language is fun when combined in tangles like "fuzz fiesta," and "fuzz fandangle." Naturally there is competition over who will get this new green fuzzy treasure and Pip Squeak is mortified that he had started a battle over the fuzz. Big Bark returns, having stolen all the fuzz, only to be plucked up by an eagle in need of a meal. The prairie dogs rally to save one of their own and Big Bark returns in his protective role over the pack.

Children like to match the drawings with the descriptions: "top dog, corny dog and frilly dog." Take some time to make a list of your child's descriptive words for Big Bark (bossy, ornery, inconsiderate, impatient) and Pip Squeak (inquisitive, kind, leader). Building good descriptive words will prepare your child for writing interesting stories. Do they have a friend like Big Bark? Or is their friend more like Pip Squeak? One little girl that I read this book to was having a little trouble with a bossy friend. What an opportunity to work through issues with peers.

Before turning the page of The Great Fuzz Frenzy, make a prediction about what is going to happen. Parents try it too and see what a variety of options you come up with. One little boy saw the sky go black and predicted a storm was coming. All guesses are good and encouraged. This helps your child think creatively, expand on stories, and strengthen his language skills.

I first read this book at a teacher workshop and fell in love with the story and the varied page formats. (Some pages unfold vertically to show the underground tunnels!) This is not only a fun book to look at, the kids giggled all the way through it as the plot unfolded. This could be used in reader's workshop to teach point of view, predicting, inferring, sound effects, or it could also be used to spur a discussion on friendship and cooperation. We did an author study on this sister authir/illustrator pair and the students love how they have a sense of humor and are a bit silly in their stories. I LOVE IT TOO! :O)

One day a dog drops a green, fuzzy tennis ball down a hole which is the home of a group of prairie dogs. The fun then begins. This strange object, with the strage and wonderful fuzzy stuff absolutely fascinates each member of the prairie dog city. The little critters come up with some rather unique uses for the green stuff. The illustrations are wonderful as is the story. It is actually funny and a joy to read.

I read this one to the younger classes at school and the kids love it. I get quite a number of requests for rereads, which is a pretty good endorsement for any children's book. There are several fold out pages which show various parts of the prairie dog city which makes it ideal for reading to a group. The text is great and holds the interest of the children. The art is colorful, funny and well executed.

This one really should be in your reading library. I use it for kindergarten through third grade, although I suspect that even the ones that are a bit older even enjoy it. I know I do.

My kids love this book! We initially checked it out from the library but we had to renew it so often that I finally bought a copy. It is fun to read because of it's sing-songy rhythm. The story is fun, too. This is a family-favorite.

My daughters love the story. The little mouse is a clever guy who is shows that you don't need to be big and strong to win... but smart. The illustrations are colorful and happy and well done. The sequel "Gruffalo's child" is not as good. But the "Snail and the Whale" and "Room in the Broom" are even better than this one :)

My two year old daughter and I absolutely love to read Julia Donaldson's books. We love the way the book flows it is almost lyrical. The illustrations are beautiful too!

I love reading this book to my 7 month old and just know that she will grow up to adore this book too. Buy it, you will not regret it :)

I cant recommend this book enough. It is truly the best children's book I have read to my two and a half year old son.

The story is wonderful. The phrasing and rhythm of the dialog is fantastic and what really sets it apart form other children's books is the cunning nature of the story.

The illustrations are great as well.

My only disappointment is that the author or publisher decided to change some of the text when the second edition was published. Which in my opinion took away some of the charm. I am still trying to find a copy of the book with the original text but can only find the book with the revised dialog. In the mean time I simply read it to my son using the original dialog from memory.

Overall a wonderful book!!

As others have already reviewed, I am a fly fisherman who purchased this book to get a better understanding of freshwater invertebrates other than mayfly and caddis species. (For a highly detailed description of mayflies and caddis for the fly-fisherman, I would recommend the titles "Nymphs, volumes I and II".)

This guide is well-written and not too difficult to follow, even for the beginner. There is a focus on stream ecology and some tips on how to collect and identify various species. Be clear - the focus of this book is not specifically on fly-fishing, but more of a biological guide to aquatic invertebrates.

For a beginner, this book is a great place to start, but is also a nice reference for those with a little more experience. The color drawings are detailed enough to help determine the differences in various species. All in all - Excellent Book.

This books is easy to comprehend, and the plates are well defined. Extremely useful for ID'ing aquatic creatures.

My teaching partner and I will use this in our Freshwater Ecology class at the secondary level. It is a great basic guide that will be used as a reference tool and identification resource at an introductory level. Excellent for the money.

This book contains easy to understand pictographs for beginners, plus distinguishing characteristics for experienced entomologists. A major plus to any and every watershed association out there, and every limnology, water pollution biology, fisheries, etc. class offered at the collegiate level.

A definate must have for nymph fishermen as well!

Well done for a price that doesn't take a bite out of the pocketbook!

This book is great for beginners or someone who wants to brush up on invertebrates. The descriptions are wonderful, as are the pictures. Highly recommended!

I highy recommend this book. This book is a must have for the Hartland and model horse collector. It is very thorough. Easy to read for younger collectors, too. A lot of work went into this book. The pictures and information are just wonderful. It has helped me with identifying and catloging my own collection.. I take it with me when I going antiquing. I would highly also recommend her other book: Hartland Horses and Dogs.

Thanks to author Gail Fitch to one of the most comprehensive guides to Hartland collectibles I have every seen..WOW... > Her expertise and careful research is abundant in this guide... models, dates, pictures and company history of Hartland Plastics.. A MUST HAVE for all model horse collectors!

I have always enjoyed collecting western characters and their horses, dogs, etc. This book finally puts it all together. The book also allows me to look at pictures of pieces I can only dream about. The information is terrific and the photos are superb. If you are an "old cowboy" like me, you need at least one copy of this book!

I love this book! I don't know what else the author could have included -- it is so complete. I especially like the fact that the book is broken into sections, i.e. the horses and riders, the standing gunfighters, the riders and the horses shown separately in other sections. I also enjoy the history section in the back, and the detailed written descriptions about the models and their variations. The quality of the color photos is superb and I would highly recommend this book to any Hartland collector. I can't wait till her book on the breed horses comes out!

Gail Fitch has done a superb job of putting together extrememly detailed and accurate information about all of Hartland's horse and rider figures, with lots of very nice pictures showing details that complement the text. This book has gotten rave reviews from non-Hartland collectors as well as all kinds of horse collectors, and they are well deserved! This is a book that can keep you happily absorbed for long periods of time and it's an essential reference for collectors. Hartland Horsemen is an excellent book, very professionally done, and I love it! Like someone else said, I can't wait until the Hartland horse book is done so I can buy it!

Ashleigh found Lightning and she was thin and sick,but now she is a beautiful and healthy mare.Ashleigh starts riding Lightning with her friend Mona and each day she starts to grow a stronger bond with the horse.Then one day her parents take her to a children's hospital and Ashleigh has to make the biggest decision of her life....keep Lightning or give her to the sick children in need of a friend.

The Thoroughbred Series is the best series of books for any young girl who is in love with horses just as I am. I am a teenager and I still love these books. Read them! They are exciting as well as dramatic!

Ligthning, the white mare that Ashleigh rescued is doing a lot better and is even ready to be ridden, but the Humane Society found another home for Lightning. The Hopewell Center that treats kids with cancer wants Lightning, but tells Ashleigh that she doesn't have to give her up. It was sad that Ashleigh had to make such a decision. When the kids from Hopewell visit Edgardale, Ashleigh makes up her mind. What will she do? Read it and find out. The book was great!

Ashleigh Griffen found an incredibly starved and abused horse when she got lost in the woods on a trail ride with her friend, mona gardner. They decided to call her lightning, for her brillant white coat. Now, almost 5 months later, lightning is a beautiful and healthy horse. Ashleigh assumes that Lightning will live at Edgardale, her family's breeding farm in Kentucky. After all, it was her hard work and loving care that saved lightning from a terrible death. But the humane society has other plans. They picked a home for lightning to live at. Ashleigh wants to say no, but when she sees what type of home they picked for lightning, she starts to wonder if Lightning really needs her. Ash has a big decision to make! Will she give up her first horse to someone else or will she and mona both have their horses for christmas? read to find out. (By the way this book was very good! its worth every penny).

This book is just so great! I loved it from the start to the end! I got it for Christmas and I thought that title was very fitting, "A Horse for Christmas". :)

Lightning, the poor abused horse Ashleigh and her friend Mona had rescued, had gradually become back to normal again. She's beautiful and Ashleigh took it for granted that Lightning was hers. After all, she was the one who took care of it and rescued it from "Mr. Nasty". Naturally, she is shocked when she hears that the Humane Society had found another home for Lightning. She also finds out that that home was a cancer treatment center for children who were recovering from cancer. When Ashleigh goes to Hopewell(The hospital), she meets a girl same as her age who was still recovering from cancer and loved horses. Ashleigh then has to choose whether she will give Lightning for Christmas to the sick children at Hopewells as a healing treatment...or keep Lightning.

Very interesting! I liked it alot! You have to read the next book after you're done with this one!

Carole,Stevie,and Lisa go to the track, and to see some of Mr.Mcleod's horses race.the trainer,Garvey ,is involved in a bribery with another jockey,so Mr.leod's horse will win....

I like most of the Saddle Club books, but I found this one D-U-L-L and B-O-R-I-N-G. Ms.Bryant did really well with #69 Endurence Ride and excitement picks right up in #71 Horse Talk but I don't know what happened with this book! After reading the other horse racing books,#43 Photo Finish and #21 Racehorse, I thought this would be great, but I was wrong. I mean three boys named Josh and they ALL like Carole! Yeah right! The part with the trainer,Garvey, and the Jockey was NOT that great. The whole book was unrelistic! Carole should have told a grownup after Garvey threatened her! The Saddle Club should give up Mysteries and leave the detecting to Nancy Drew.

The three Saddle Club girls, Lisa Atwood, Stevie Lake, and Carole Hanson find out about a bribery at the race track about how a jockey will make sure his own horse won't win and that another will so that he gets money...before they know it, the Saddle Club isn't at the track for horse races anymore. They're in on another race...for their own lives!

Carole,Stevie,and Lisa go to the track, and to see some of Mr.Mcleod's horses race.the trainer,Garvey ,is involved in a bribery with another jockey,so Mr.leod's horse will win....

Well written book! It gives information about racing and what goes on at the racetrack. At the climax, it leaves the reader on the end of there chair wondering "What's happening next! " Stevie, Lisa, and Carole go on a lot of adventures together and victory or failure, they pretty much always have horses on there mind. Bonnie Bryant writes great horse books and if you like the Saddle Club series, you'll love the Pine Hollow series! I recomend this book to anyone who loves horses and racing.

This is an excellent book for guinea pig lovers ages 3-8. It gives information on guinea pigs while entertaining and enjoyable.

A cute story of how someone likes their guinea pigs and alot of pictures that children can look at, pictures are drawn very accurately.

I love this book!
It is a favorite for me.
first because I love cavia porcellus. My children learned those words from the book.
second the art work is beautiful, inspiring, and acurate to the experiences of having guinea pigs. I did my own artful representations of my guinea pigs after getting this book.
third each time i look at this book my heart warms over thinking of my dear guinea pigs. one lived 10 years, what a great gal she was.
fourth the content is accurate, and helpful.
I would suggest leaving a copy near your guinea pig home, cage, whatever you call your cavy space, for reference that is visually engaging, basic in content, and motivating, for self and especially children, in caring for your bouncy cavy companion.

I am sure that this is an excellent book, but I bought it for my great-grandson for his birthday at the suggestion of his mother. However, his guinea pig died before he received it.

I'm not sure if you don't have a guinea pig or your child doesn't have one at school but my son was very excited because it talks about types of guinea pigs and we enjoy it as we can compare it to ours behavior. The author clearly likes and has owned many and it gives advice about care without it just being a manual.